Floor mounted fixture for permanently installed vacuum cleaning systems



, D. H. HUNT E'l'AL FLOOR MOUNTED FIXTURE FOR PERMANENTLY INSTALLED VACUUM CLEANING SYSTEMS Filed NOV. 5, 1959 May 23, 1961 INVENTORQ m//D H. HUN T. RoBERT W R/cHHRDsa/v /ITTORNEK United States Patent G FLOQR MOUNTED FIXTURE FOR PERNIANENTLY NSTALLED VACUUM CLEANING SYSTEMS David H. Hunt, Simsbury, and Robert W. Richardson,

West Hartford, Conn., assgnors to The Spencer Turbine Company, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Fired Nov. s, 1959, ser. No. 851,061

7 Claims. (Cl. 15-310) This invention relates to a oor mounted iixture for permanently installed vacuum cleaning systems, and more particularly to improvements in fixtures of the type shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,791,792 dated May 14, 1957.

Fixtures of the patented type available at the present time generally include a hollow, bowl-shaped base portion which is adapted to be mounted in the oor of a building and is provided at its lower kend with an outlet for attachment to the piping of a conventional vacuum cleaning system. A door plate is mounted on the top of the base portion for disposition ush with the oor surface and contains an elongated inlet slot and a tubular socket for receiving the coupling of a vacuum cleaner hose, both the slot and the socket being provided with removable covers for preventing the passage of air therethrough when the fixture is not in use.

When the vacuum producer of the system is in operation and the cover is removed from the inlet slot, air is drawn therethrough at high velocity and dust and debris gathered from the floor may easily be disposed of by sweeping it into slot. Mops and other cleaning appliances such as dust cloths, blackboard erasers and the like may also be quickly and thoroughly cleaned by passing them back and forth over the slot. When it is desired to use a hose-equipped cleaning tool for a cleaning operation, it is only necessary to remove the cover from the socket in the floor plate and insert the hose coupling thereinto. In such cases, the inlet slot is preferably closed so that all of the air drawn into the fixture passes through the cleaning tool to thereby produce maximum suction at the nozzle or cleaning head of the tool.

In vacuum cleaning systems in large or multiple story buildings having a considerable number of floor mounted fixtures, it is necessary to provide a vacuum producer of high capacity to permit the use of several of the iixtures simultaneously. As a result, when only one or two `of the fixtures are in use, the velocity of the air flowing thereinto is abnormally high because said fixtures are subjected to the full suction force of the vacuum producer. This is not objectionable when a hose-equipped cleaning tool is being used since the increased suction provides greater cleaning efticiency. However, it has been found that air liowing into the inlet slot at an abnormally high velocity sometimes causes a loud,- high-pitched, whistling noise which is extremely annoying to persons occupying the building, particularly when such `fixtures are installed in schools, hospitals or apartment buildings. The excessive suction thus created also makes it difficult to pass mops or other cleaning articles over the inlet slot since they are drawn tightly against the floor plate.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a fixture of the above-mentioned type having means therein to restrict the ow of air through the inlet slot to prevent whistling, but which means will not interfere with the ow of air through the hose socket.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fixture having means therein for reducing the area of the air outlet of the iixture to thereby cut down the air-flow through the inlet slot, but which means is rendered ineffective when the hose socket is being used.

Another object of this invention is to provide a xture having a restricting member on the cover for the hose socket which restricts the air outlet of the fixture and thereby reduces the air-flow through the inlet slot, but wherein said restricting member is removed from the outlet when the socket cover is removed to allow full iiow of air through said socket.

A still further object of the invention is to provide restrictin means which are adapted for installation in existing types of fixtures to prevent whistling.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be more clearly understood from the following description and the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig 1 is a plan View of a fixture embodying the present invention with the covers for the inlet slot and hose socket in place.

yFig. 2 is a Side/view of said fixture, in central vertical section, clearly illustrating its construction.

The oor mounted fixture shown in the drawing is generally similar to that shown in Patent No. 2,791,792 referred to above and comprises a iixture body 5 including a hollow, bowl-shaped base portion 6 having an annular side wall and a bottom wall defining a chamber 7 therein which is open at its upper end. Said base is adapted to be imbedded in a concrete lioor of a building and is provided with radial ears 8 which facilitate positioning of the base before the floor is poured. An integral, centrally located, tubular stem 9 depends from the bottom wall of the base 6 and provide an air outlet 9-a from the chamber 7. Said stem is externally threaded to permit attachment of the fixture body to the permanently installed piping of a conventional vacuum cleaning system.

A substantially square floor plate 19 is fastened to the upper edge of the base 6 by screws 11 and forms the top Wall of the chamber 7; said plate being preferably disposed flush with the surface of the floor in which the fixture is mounted. The floor plate is provided with a depending tubular boss 12 providing a socket 13 communicating with the chamber 7 and adapted to detachably receive the conventional coupling provided on the end of the hose of a vacuum cleaning tool such as a floor or wall brush. The socket 13 is normally closed by a removable, flush-fitting cover 14 which rests on an annular sealing gasket 15 seated in the Wall of the socket. At one side of the socket 13, the floor plate 10 is provided with an elongated inlet slot 16 which also communicates with the chamber 7, and said slot is normally closed by a flush-fitting cover 17 which rests on a sealing gasket 18 that is seated in the wall of the slot.

It will be understood that in fixtures of the conventional type such as above described, air-flow through either the socket 13 or the inlet slot 16 is unrestricted when their respective covers are removed. This is most desirable when the socket is in use since it provides maximum suction through the cleaning tool. However, when the socket is closed and the inlet slot is open, air flowing through the slot at an abnormally high velocity can produce an annoying whistling noise as hereinbefore mentioned.

In accordance with the present invention, therefore, we provide for insertion into the chamber 7 of the lixture body S a battle `19 in the form of an inverted cupshaped member including an upper plate portion 20 and an annular depending rim 21 having -a gasket 22 around its lower edge which rests on the bottom wall of the base 6 to eect an air-tight seal around the edge of the baie. The plate portion 26 of the baflle has a short 3. tubular projection 23 of circular cross-section depending therefrom which provides an air outlet 24 from the portion of the chamber 7 about the bale that is disposed coaxially with the socket 13. The upper marginal'edges of the tubular projection'23' are preferably smooth and rounded to insureY proper air-flow into the outlet 24 and .to eliminate any sharp edges which would be liable to catch dust or other foreign matter drawn Y into the fixture.

The cover V14 for the socket 13 has a tubular restricting plug projecting axially from the underside thereof which, when the cover is in place, extends axially through the said socket and the outlet 24 as shown in Fig. 2. The restricting plug 25 is smaller in diameter than the outlet 24 to provide an annular space 26 between the plug and the Vwall of the outlet through which a limited amount of air may ow in response to the negative pressure created by the vacuum producer.Y

It will be understood `from the above description that when the socket cover 14 is in socket closing position, as shown in Fig. 2, and the inlet slot 16 is open, the airilow through the inlet slot is `greatly reduced by the presence of the restricting plug 25 inthe outlet 24. This naturally reduces the velocity of the air owing through the inlet slot and thereby elminates the whistling noise previously experienced. Furthermore, mops and other cleaning articles will not be drawn tightly against the floor plate although suticient suction will still be present to remove the dust and dirt imbedded therein.

When the socket cover 1'4 is removed to permit insertion of a hose coupling into the socket 13, therestricting plug 25 will be removed therewith and from the outlet'24 to allow the unrestricted ow of air through said socket and the cleaning tool to which said hose is attached.

If dirt or other foreign matter drawn through the slot 16 should clog the annular space 26, it may easily be gotten rid of by momentarily 'lifting the cover 14 to remove the restricting plug 25 from the outlet 24 and thereby permit said foreign matter to be sucked through said outlet 24 and into the vacuum cleaning system.

It will be evident that the baffle l19 may be eliminated by forming the iixture base 6 with the stem 9 disposed in axial alignment with the socket 13 and extending the restricting plug 25 into the outlet 9-a in said stem. While this construction would operate as above described, itV is advantageous to have the stem located centrally of the fixture base since this `facilitates installation of the tixture. In addition, our invention permits a manufacturer to produce one type of a fixture which may be used with or without the balile 19 and the restricting plug 25 as required; Y Y

We claim: y Y

1. A xture for a vacuum cleaning system including a iixture body having a chamber therein and an outlet opening of predetermined area for establishing communication between said chamber and said system, said body having a dirt-receiving inlet opening and a socket for a hose coupling formed therein which both provide communication between the atmosphere and said chamber, a removable cover `for said inlet opening, a separate removable cover vfor said socket, and a restricting member secured to the cover for said socket and having a portion positioned to reduce the eiective area of said outlet opening when said socket cover is in socket closing position to restrict the ow of air through said inlet opening when its cover is removed.

2. 'I'he subject matter set forth in claim 1 wherein said restricting member is adapted to be removed from said fixture body through said socket when the socket cover is removed to permit full flow of air through said outlet opening.

3. A `fixture for a vacuum cleaning system including a lixture body having a chamber therein and an outlet opening for establishing communication between said chamber and said system, said body having a dirt-receiving inlet opening `and a socket for a hose coupling formed therein which both provide communication between the atmosphere and said chamber, said socket and said outlet opening being axially aligned,y a Yremovable cover for said inlet opening, a separate removable cover for said socket, and a restricting member extending axially from said socket cover and having a portion positioned relatively to said outlet opening to restrict the ow of air therethrough when said socket cover is in socket closing position, said restricting member being removed from restrictying position upon removal of said socket cover to permit maximum air ow through said outlet opening.

4. A fixture for a vacuum cleaning system including a hollow fixture body having a chamber therein, a bale in said body dividing said chamber into a first section and a second section, said xture body having a dirt-receiving inlet opening and a socket'ffor a hose coupling formed therein which both provide communication between the atmosphere yand said first section of the chamber, said body having a main outlet opening therein communicating with said second section of the chamber, said battle having an opening therein providing communication between said iirst and said second sections of the chamber, a removable cover for said inletv opening, a separate removable cover yfor said socket, and a restricting member in said body positioned to reduce the eiective area of the opening in said bae to thereby reduce the volume of air flowing through said inlet opening when its cover is removed.

5. The subject matter set forth in claim 4 wherein said restricting member is attached to the cover for said socket and is disposed in restricting position -when said cover is in socket closing position, and said restricting member 4is adapted to be removed from restricting position when said socket cover is removed from said socket.

6. The subject matter set forth in claim 5 wherein the opening in said bale is in axial alignment with said socket, and said restricting member extends axially from said socket cover into said opening and is of a smaller size than said socket, whereby said restricting member is adapted to be removed from said fixture through said socket when said socket cover is removed.

7. In a fixture for a vacuum cleaning system comprising a hollow fixture body including a top wall and a bottom wall defining a chamber therein, said top wall having a dirt-receiving inlet opening and a socket for a hose coupling formed therein both communicating with said chamber, and said bottom wall having an outlet openy ing therein for establishing communication between said chamber and said system; the improvement which comprises, a separate bale disposed in saidchamber, said baie being in the -form of an inverted, cup-shaped member disposed with its Ylower edge portion in substantially air-tight engagement with the bottom wall of said body and thereby dividing said chamber into an upper section in communication with said inlet opening and said socket and a lower section in communication with said outlet opening, said bajle having an opening therein in axial alignment with saidV socket, and a restricting member secured to said socket cover and extending therefrom into the opening in said baffle, said restricting member reducing the effective area of said opening whereby the ow of air through said inlet opening is reduced when its cover is removed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 656,863v Germany Feb. 17, 193s 

